diff --git a/deluge/tests/test_ui_entry.py b/deluge/tests/test_ui_entry.py
index cabdabb09..8b04fb63f 100644
--- a/deluge/tests/test_ui_entry.py
+++ b/deluge/tests/test_ui_entry.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ from twisted.internet import defer
 import deluge
 import deluge.component as component
 import deluge.ui.web.server
-from deluge.common import get_localhost_auth, utf8_encode_structure, windows_check
+from deluge.common import get_localhost_auth, utf8_encode_structure, windows_check, PY2
 from deluge.ui import ui_entry
 from deluge.ui.web.server import DelugeWeb
 
@@ -53,7 +53,10 @@ class StringFileDescriptor(object):
 
     def write(self, *data, **kwargs):
         # io.StringIO requires unicode strings.
-        print(unicode(*data), file=self.out, end='')
+        data_string = str(*data)
+        if PY2:
+            data_string = data_string.decode()
+        print(data_string, file=self.out, end='')
 
     def flush(self):
         self.out.flush()
diff --git a/deluge/ui/console/main.py b/deluge/ui/console/main.py
index 34b7e5cf4..0edbe6034 100644
--- a/deluge/ui/console/main.py
+++ b/deluge/ui/console/main.py
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ Please use commands from the command line, e.g.:\n
                 component.get('CmdLine').add_line(s, False)
                 self.events.append(s)
         else:
-            print(colors.strip_colors(s.encode('utf8')))
+            print(colors.strip_colors(s))
 
     def write_event(self, s):
         if self.interactive:
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ Please use commands from the command line, e.g.:\n
                 component.get('CmdLine').add_line(s, False)
                 self.events.append(s)
         else:
-            print(colors.strip_colors(s.encode('utf8')))
+            print(colors.strip_colors(s))
 
     def _migrate_config_1_to_2(self, config):
         """Create better structure by moving most settings out of dict root
diff --git a/deluge/ui/console/utils/colors.py b/deluge/ui/console/utils/colors.py
index 3de338b1a..a6523fd06 100644
--- a/deluge/ui/console/utils/colors.py
+++ b/deluge/ui/console/utils/colors.py
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ type_color = {
     dict: '{!white,black,bold!}',
 }
 
+tab_char = '\t'
+color_tag_start = '{!'
+color_tag_end = '!}'
+
 
 def get_color_pair(fg, bg):
     return color_pairs[(fg, bg)]
@@ -108,14 +112,20 @@ class BadColorString(Exception):
     pass
 
 
+def check_tag_count(string):
+    """Raise BadColorString if color tag open/close not equal."""
+    if string.count(color_tag_start) != string.count(color_tag_end):
+        raise BadColorString('Number of {! is not equal to number of !}')
+
+
 def replace_tabs(line):
     """
     Returns a string with tabs replaced with spaces.
 
     """
-    for i in range(line.count('\t')):
-        tab_length = 8 - (len(line[:line.find('\t')]) % 8)
-        line = line.replace('\t', ' ' * tab_length, 1)
+    for i in range(line.count(tab_char)):
+        tab_length = 8 - (len(line[:line.find(tab_char)]) % 8)
+        line = line.replace(tab_char, b' ' * tab_length, 1)
     return line
 
 
@@ -124,9 +134,13 @@ def strip_colors(line):
     Returns a string with the color formatting removed.
 
     """
+    check_tag_count(line)
+
     # Remove all the color tags
-    while line.find('{!') != -1:
-        line = line[:line.find('{!')] + line[line.find('!}') + 2:]
+    while line.find(color_tag_start) != -1:
+        tag_start = line.find(color_tag_start)
+        tag_end = line.find(color_tag_end) + 2
+        line = line[:tag_start] + line[tag_end:]
 
     return line
 
@@ -136,9 +150,6 @@ def get_line_length(line):
     Returns the string length without the color formatting.
 
     """
-    if line.count('{!') != line.count('!}'):
-        raise BadColorString('Number of {! is not equal to number of !}')
-
     # Remove all the color tags
     line = strip_colors(line)
 
@@ -152,9 +163,6 @@ def get_line_width(line):
     Get width of string considering double width characters
 
     """
-    if line.count('{!') != line.count('!}'):
-        raise BadColorString('Number of {! is not equal to number of !}')
-
     # Remove all the color tags
     line = strip_colors(line)
 
@@ -171,18 +179,17 @@ def parse_color_string(s, encoding='UTF-8'):
     :param encoding: the encoding to use on output
 
     """
-    if s.count('{!') != s.count('!}'):
-        raise BadColorString('Number of {! is not equal to number of !}')
+    check_tag_count(s)
 
     ret = []
     last_color_attr = None
     # Keep track of where the strings
-    while s.find('{!') != -1:
-        begin = s.find('{!')
+    while s.find(color_tag_start) != -1:
+        begin = s.find(color_tag_start)
         if begin > 0:
             ret.append((curses.color_pair(color_pairs[(schemes['input'][0], schemes['input'][1])]), s[:begin]))
 
-        end = s.find('!}')
+        end = s.find(color_tag_end)
         if end == -1:
             raise BadColorString('Missing closing "!}"')
 
@@ -258,7 +265,7 @@ def parse_color_string(s, encoding='UTF-8'):
             last_color_attr = color_pair
         # We need to find the text now, so lets try to find another {! and if
         # there isn't one, then it's the rest of the string
-        next_begin = s.find('{!', end)
+        next_begin = s.find(color_tag_start, end)
 
         if next_begin == -1:
             ret.append((color_pair, replace_tabs(s[end + 2:])))